Pyongyang: North Korea has established a memorial to honor its troops who perished while fighting alongside Russia in the conflict against Ukraine. During the ceremony marking the opening of the memorial, leader Kim Jong-un emphasized the necessity of strengthening the Pyongyang-Moscow alliance into a "powerful bulwark," as reported by state media on Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the North Korean government held the inauguration ceremony for the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang. The event coincided with the first anniversary of the "liberation" of the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the ceremony commemorated Russia's recapture of the front-line Kursk region from Ukraine on April 26, 2025, with prominent officials from both North Korea and Russia in attendance, including Russia's parliamentary speaker and defense minister.
Since 2024, North Korea has dispatched approximately 15,000 combat troops and conventional weapons to Russia to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine. Seoul's intelligence agency previously estimated that around 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured during the ongoing conflict.
In his speech at the ceremony, Kim Jong-un stated that the memorial museum symbolizes the commitment of North Korea and Russia to fortifying their bilateral relations, which he noted were forged in "blood." He highlighted the strategic importance of the operations to liberate Kursk, emphasizing that North Korea and Russia have deterred the resurgence of fascism and thwarted the war ambitions of hegemonic forces by standing together to defend peace and sovereignty.
The military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has been intensifying since Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense treaty in Pyongyang in June 2024. In a letter delivered by Russia's defense chief to Kim, Putin expressed that the memorial would undoubtedly serve as a "clear symbol of friendship" between the two nations. Putin further asserted his belief in the continued strengthening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) through joint efforts.
On Sunday, Kim Jong-un also met with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's Duma, the lower house of parliament, according to the KCNA. During the meeting, Kim and Belousov discussed various issues aimed at further consolidating and advancing "political and military cooperation, as well as assistance between the two nations." Kim reiterated North Korea's full support for Russia's efforts to defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests.
Russia's Tass news agency quoted Belousov as informing Kim that Russia is prepared to sign a "Russian-Korean military cooperation plan for the 2027-2031 period." In a separate meeting with the Russian parliamentary speaker, Kim assessed Russia's dispatch of a high-level delegation to the ceremony as a demonstration of Moscow's commitment to developing its ties with Pyongyang, as reported by the KCNA.